Vampire Knight :I'm Not Afraid:
by Quivyre
Summary: Reina Satake, a vampire hunter-in-training, is summoned to Cross Academy by Headmaster Cross, claimed to be mere back-up, but is there more to it...? Shiki/OC, Ichijou/OC Disclaimer! Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino
1. Chapter 1

Vampire Knight ~ I'm Not Afraid ~

Chapter #1

The coach I was in pulled up somewhere -which I presumed was Cross Academy. The door opened and a waft of vampire blood hit me like a lead pipe. A brunette girl stood a few metres away from the coach and smiled at me. A really good-looking boy with silver hair (That looked really soft and gave me the urge to stroke it... weird, no?) helped me out from my seat, he was the source. He had unusually light lavender eyes that suited him, but I don't believe would work on most people.

I think he noticed I was kinda staring and cleared his throat, looking away. I flushed and turned back to the brunette girl. She smiled at me and gave a small wave. "Hello, Reina-san. My name is Yuki Cross." She smiled innocently. "The Headmaster called us down to fetch you for him. Oh, this is my partner, Zero Kiryu," She nodded towards the silver-haired guy, who was now studying me intensively.

Hmm... something about him... I looked down at his pocket. A gun dangled there by a chain. I could recognize it, it was a Bloody Rose. Vampire Hunting equipment. He must have been a hunter in training... Poor guy, having to live around vampires, not to mention the fact that he was one himself. Sucks for him, huh? I stared at him. He stared fiercely back. I smiled a little and patted his head softly. "You seem to be an honest hunter with a strong gaze." I said in a low voice so only he could hear.

His eyes widened slightly, he opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. He bowed to me. I smirked slightly and bowed back. Then I turned to Yuki. "Lead the way." I said, making my best effort to smile. She blinked, then nodded, walking towards the door of a massive castle. Damn! Was Headmaster Cross that rich?

Yuki walked in front of me, Zero stayed at my side. "What's a member of the Satake hunters doing at Cross Academy?" He asked, his voice monotone. I smirked. He's done his homework on Hunting clans. "Don't worry, I'm not here to massacre the horde Aristocrat vampires." I chuckled. He sighed in response. I could tell he was slightly wishing that's what I was here for. I looked up at the tower, which I guessed was Kaien Cross's office. "Cross called for me. I have to stay here and help you and Yuki. So, really, I'm just back-up." I chuckled again.

Zero didn't smile. Tough nut to crack. "I take it she doesn't know about you yet." I said, tilting my head towards Yuki. Zero's gaze tightened, but he nodded his head. She knew? I shut my mouth after that, I could tell he wasn't the sort to talk much.

Yuki held the door open for Zero and I to walk through before going in herself. I nodded thank you and walked right up to the headmaster's desk. "Headmaster Kaien Cross. Nice to meet you." I said, bowing. Kaien Cross was a strange -but otherwise pretty decent- looking man. He was wearing a lot of scarves -and I mean A LOT of scarves- around his neck, and very heavily padded clothing. Yeah, weird guy alert. He smiled at me. "Reina Satake. And you." He said.

All righty, then. I was now an official member of the Cross Academy Disciplinary Committee. Didn't feel any different but, hey, you can't please everyone. Though I'm sure a thousand girls would kill for my position. My first order of business: Taking attendance for the Night Class.

Apparently the vampires were much too tempted to eat Yuki and Zero had a great chance of either killing them all or dying, so I was the only one left. Yippee. Well, actually I don't think the vampires want to F with a Vampire Hunter.

I stalked down the hallway, trying to find the Night Class homeroom. Jeez, this school was a maze! And I forgot my map in the Headmaster's office! Don't I just have fantastic luck? What was the room number again? A15...? No, A16...? Nope. A17... A17! That was it... I think.

I knocked once and heard a muffled. "Come in." I stepped through the door and saw that the classroom was really, really dark. My eyes were already adjusted to the dark, but I couldn't see anyone. I could smell them though, but I decided to play dumb. "... Is anyone even here?" I called. I heard more than one chuckle. "Yes, may we help you?"

A guy -about 17 or 18- walked towards me. He was captivatingly good-looking. He had honey-blonde hair and very flamboyant emerald eyes. He smiled at me. I remained pokerfaced, eyebrow arched. Though, I do admit, he is breathtakingly handsome. But, all vampires were, I'm not stupid. Vampires' appearances can be used for luring.

"Are you lost? You shouldn't be here, you know." He asked me. Oh, he thinks I'm a normal Day Class girl. I smirked and took out a clipboard. "I'm not lost, thank you. You don't have to use that facade with me, vampire." I said, checking my watch. I think I surprised the blonde with my response, because he looked absolutely bewildered. I smiled. "Reina Satake. Newest member of the Disciplinary Committee. Nice to meet you." I said. "T-Takuma Ichijou." He replied. He was still pretty confused, I could understand why.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around me. "Aww, how cute! A little kitten standing up to Vice President of the Night Class." Ugh, vampires and their stupid smugness. I took his arms, twisted myself underneath his body and flipped him on top of one of the desks. "Don't mess with a Hunter, vampire." I snapped. I heard a few breathes being sucked in. Yeah, they were all in there. It was another blonde. He had a bit of a player aura about him. Great.

He picked himself up off the desk. "My, what strength you have. Who knew such beauty could also harbour such power." He said, rubbing the back of his neck and winking at me. I glared at him. "Okay, now, could I please carry on with my duty? I need sleep too you know." I seized my pen from my pocket.

I turned back to the Vice President. "Now then, how many students do you have in your Night Class?" I asked.

I smelled of vampires. It wasn't a bad smell, I'll admit that. It was that blonde vampire, Hanabusa Aidou. He seemed okay, a little pervy, but okay, I just lost my temper. Some vampires can act so pompous... it gets my blood boiling. Something else... Kaname Kuran was here... he's connected to her... the one the Kiryus were hunting... the one Zero must still be hunting... ugh, I can't sleep.

I sat up in bed. I had already been assigned a room. My roommate's name was Kazue Erizawa. She was nice enough, but she was obsessed with two of the boys from the Night Class: Akatsuki Kain and that Hanabusa Aidou -you know, the perv- even though she had a boyfriend. Poor boyfriend. She was slightly jealous that I was a member of the Disciplinary Committee, but was still really friendly towards me. She was my age, so at least I knew someone in class.

I slipped out from under the covers and snuck over to the window. Good thing I got the bed by the window, huh? I opened the window and ducked, squatting on the ledge. Good, there was a balcony above me, then I could easily get onto the roof. I reached up and grabbed the edge of the ledge (Did anyone else notice the fact that that rhymed?). I pulled myself up so my feet were lifted off my windowsill. But before I climbed onto the balcony, I shut the window halfway with my foot.

Suddenly, I picked up the scent of a vampire. One of the Night Class... it was male... and he was young. Hands grabbed my wrists and pulled me up from the edge of the balcony and pulled me up onto the balcony. It was Senri Shiki. His gaze was firm and icy, his grip on my wrists didn't loosen. He raised an eyebrow at me, probably wondering what I was doing up after curfew.

"Just wandering." I answered before he could ask. He looked down at my wrists, then held them up. He let go of one of them, then pulled me up on to the roof and dragged me over to the forest. "What're you...?" He interrupted before I could finish. "I want to talk with you." He answered curtly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter #2

As soon as we stopped, we were both panting. I hopped onto a tree branch, he followed. I positioned myself so that I was sitting across from him with my legs dangling over the edge. He laid himself down beside me and looked out towards the moon.

"So...? What's up?" I asked. Shiki said nothing at first, then shifted his gaze towards mine. I locked eyes with him, making sure my gaze was firm. He was truly beautiful, I won't deny it. His eyes were turquoise and ice-cold. His hair looked perfectly wind-blown and was a dark shade of mahogany/cinnaberry -yes, that's a real colour- look it up. These vampires, they must cause these girls such trouble. With their beauteous fanciness.

Shiki ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "The Vice President would have come, but I told him he didn't have to be troubled." He started. He looked down, then met my eye again. "I wanted to talk to you myself." He confessed. I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you know the impacts of hunting a group of aristocrats and a pureblood-" I cut him off. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hunt your precious cult." I snapped, looking down at a bush that was below me. This is what he came to talk to me about? Honestly...

Shiki looked up at me again. "You're not?" He asked, sounding surprised. I sighed. "You should know: the Headmaster would tell your President if a hunter was on the way, wouldn't he?" I reminded him. He thought about, then nodded. Then he swiftly flipped himself on his stomach to study me. I kept my eye contact, though tempted to look away. "So, why are you here then?" Asked Shiki.

I arched an eyebrow. "You care because...?" Shiki shrugged. "I'm just curious." He answered. I looked away. "It's personal." I said simply. "I won't tell." His voice maintained monotone. I shook my head. "It's a long story." I wouldn't budge. But neither would he. "I'm sure I can keep up." He smirked the slightest amount.

I sighed, I knew there was no persuading this guy. Jeez. I looked down and let out a deep sigh, swinging my legs for a few minutes. Then I finally looked up at him. "I..." I paused. "I... don't want..." I gulped. I had never talked to anyone about this. Why was I here telling a guy I'd never met before? He could go off and use that against me.

I stuck out my tongue at him suddenly and jumped off the tree singing. "... to tell you!" I ran off into the darkness of the forest. If he was the kind of person I thought he was, he would have shrugged it off and continued to lay in that tree.

I looked around, searching for the girl's dorms. But, I was lost. I haven't memorized the campus maps yet because I was tired today. But, I did know that the Sun dorm was facing the east, since the sun rises in the east. I had my compass with me (Don't ask.), I was facing north, so I just had to go right.

Sure enough, the woods began getting for familiar. I saw my half-closed window. I climbed swiftly up the tree across from it and swung into my room, my feet making the softest 'tak' on the floor. I quickly jumped into bed and looked at my clock. It was 2:07. I'd have to wake up in 2 and a half hours to help the Night Class get back in they're dorms. Then I could go sleep some more until about 7:15. Class begins at 7:45. I could easily get ready in a half hour.

In my dream, I couldn't stop thinking about Shiki. Most of it, I dreamt that he was standing over someone, watching them sleep. Then, he suddenly bent down and whispered in they're ear: "You never got to tell me..." and kissed them on the forehead. Then he sat down on the floor beside the person and rested his chin on their bed, continuing to watch them.

Then, this is when it got weirder. The Vice President, Takuma Ichijou, leapt through the open window and called for Shiki to go somewhere. Shiki stood up and left, and Ichijou looked down at the person sleeping and said "You gave quite the start earlier.", then touched the person's face and left. Very weird, no? Maybe I should stop eating so much before bed. It must be screwing with my head (Hey, that's my second rhyme so far!).


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter #3

I woke up the next morning to the loud, obnoxious blaring of my roommate, Kazue's, alarm clock, and the smell of vampire again. I cracked one eye open. The sunlight was dim, the sun had still yet to rise. Good. I kicked the covers back and ran to the duffle bag Headmaster Cross had given me last night.

Inside were four outfits of the Day Class uniform, a map of the school grounds, and my needed textbooks. I grabbed the whole bag and made my way out the door and over to the girl's washroom. I didn't like communal washrooms. I preferred my privacy.

But my mind was much too occupied by last night with Shiki and my dream to be bothered. I washed the smell of vampire off of me and quickly changed into my uniform. It had one thing that separated me from the rest of the Day Class girls (except Yuki), my Disciplinary Committee band that wrapped around my upper left arm.

~~

I stalked down the hallway, getting about a gazillion dirty looks from all the Day Class girls that noticed my Disciplinary Committee band. I slipped through the classroom door. I was right on time, thank God. But I pretty much knew no one there. Yuki was a year younger and Zero, though my age, missed the 1st Year cirriculum. Stupid Zero.

I saw Kazue waving to me from the back of the class. I gave her a small wave back, then walked up to the teacher's desk and waited for him to look up. He was about 30, and pretty decent-looking, like Headmaster Cross. He had light brown hair and eyes to match, but when he looked up, he had a stinging gaze. "And you are...?" He said. I blinked, realizing I was staring. I cleared my throat.

"I'm Reina Satake. Transfer student." I said, making sure my voice didn't falter. He studied me for a moment, then shrugged and stood up. "Another student, that's all I need..." He muttered. How rude!

"Yo! Class!" He called, wow, maybe he was younger than 30 after all; I've never heard a teacher say "yo" before. "This is..." he snapped his fingers, trying to remember my name. "Reina Satake-" "Reina Satake! Be nice to her and all that, class'll start in 5 minutes." He sat back down, leaving everyone to stare at me.

I got the 'stink eye' from all the girls as I made my way up to sit at the end of Kazue's row, at the very back of the class. I opened my bag and took out a notebook, earnestly trying to pretend I didn't notice the boy next to me, whose eyes were boring into the side of my head.

Then, he finally gathered the courage to tap me on the shoulder and introduce himself. "Hey. I'm Hayate Matsushita." He declared. I smiled a little. "You know my name already." I said. It wasn't a statement, it was an obvious fact. He chuckled.

This guy had crazy hair. It was short and spiked, a part of the top was white, but his roots were black as ebony. His eyes were a really nice blue-green. I saw two piercings on his left ear, and cuff bracelet slightly hidden underneath his sleeve on his right wrist. Something that ticked me off about him was that he was wearing a smirk similiar to Mr. Pervert (Aidou). But, he seemed like an all-around clever, mischeivous hooligan. I liked him already.

"Do you need someone to show you around?" He asked, not eagerly, but friendly. I smirked. Wow, pretty to the point. "Sure, why not?" I answered, now smiling. He seemed surprised that I had accepted, but then smiled to me and turned back to face the front.

The teacher guy's name was 'Kogame-sensei'. Boring. I should make up a name for him. Like... Cranky-sensei. Or Kurabu-sensei (Which literally means 'Mr. Crab'). Nah, I like Cranky-sensei better. I elbowed Hayate and asked him what was up with Cranky-sensei. He shrugged and told me he didn't know.

Then he asked me why I was a member of the Disciplinary Committee. I told him the truth. No, not THAT truth. I mean I played innocent and pretended that I thought it was because I don't like any of the Night Class guys. He seemed surprised. Jeez, was it really that rare to find a girl that wasn't in love with those freaks? And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Hunter. Vampires are really weird, seriously.

~~

I walked out with Hayate. I'd gotten to know him pretty well in the last 5 and a half hours. His parents owned a recording company, meaning he was rich, and he was an only child- which he hated. He was the Boys' Sun Dorm President. He could dance freestyle and one of the artists that signed with his parents' company taught him how to mix vinyl records. He promised to show me sometime.

He was jealous that I grew up with three brothers, but then I told him "They're older, so I've gotten somewhat aggressive." But he merely shurgged it off. I checked my watch; it was quarter to four. "Crap!" I shrieked, then bid a hasty farewell before bolting down the hallway and outside to meet Yuki and Zero.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter #4

As soon as Zero spotted me up the path, he shot me his usual dull stare. I think it's his silent way of saying 'hello'. I ran faster and almost crashed into Yuki. Zero then struck me upside the head. "What was that for?" I hollered, looking up at him. Damn him for being a friggin' giant. "You're late." His voice was monotone.

"Yeah, well, you know what? You know what?" I retorted. He looked down at me with a 'what the hell' face. "I karate chop you back!" I said before jumping and smacking him in the back of the head. He glared at me. I glared back. Yuki's laughing caught us both off guard. "You two act like dogs and cats!" She giggled. "It's as if you've known each other forever."

I smiled, then looked up at Zero and found him smiling slightly! My eyes widened. "THE HARBINGER OF ALL THAT IS DOOM AND GLOOM SMILED! ALERT THE MEDIA!" I was silenced by another laugh, but it wasn't Yuki this time. This laugh was heartier and louder. I turned around and saw Hayate leaning on a tree trunk a few feet away, laughing as if Russel Peters was doing a Jackie Chan impression.

"Matsushita?" I called. He looked up, still laughing hard. "You guys are hilarious!" He gasped between chuckles. Zero stared at him. "Dorm President? What are you doing here?" He asked. I punched him in the arm. "Don't be rude, Zero." I flared. He rubbed his arm. "What the hell was that? Are you trying to snap my arm in half?" He fumed.

God, what was eating him now? "What?" I raised my hands defensively. "You almost busted my arm, Hercules!" He snapped. Whoops. I bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry! I can't control my strength!" I explained.

I took his arm gently -as gently as I could- and examined it. Zero seemed surprised. "What are you doing?" He asked, but didn't pull back. "Just making sure I didn't actually fracture anything." I answered, leaving out the part that it's happened before. He didn't seem to be all that trusting.

I sighed. "You would relax? I have training in this for this exact reaso- STOP SQUIRMING!" I had to yell the last part because his constant moving was pissing me off. He huffed and gave in. Good news: I didn't injure him at all! Bad news: After I finished examining his arm, we could hear them. It sounded like a stampede of freakin' rhinos. Attack of the maniac fangirls. It's sad really.

Zero clenched his fists. Yuki took a deep breath and put her "game face" on. I gave a deep, bored sigh and glared off in the distance to where the sound was coming from. They got closer and closer until we could see their silhouettes. NO ONE could miss them. A horde of girls whose ages varied, running like a pack of wild boars towards their prey. I didn't know if that would be us or the Night Class. Or both.

As soon as they were close enough, I took a step forward and screamed at the top of my lungs. "STOP!" They all halted instantaneously. I smirked. This would be fun. "IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE NIGHT CLASS, STEP ASIDE! REFUSE AND YOU'LL NEVER SEE ANYTHING AGAIN!" That got them. They parted and clumped together on either side of the pathway. Zero took his side, he was so scary that he pretty much formed an invisible barrier for the girls.

Yuki and I handled the other side. She spread her arms out to contain the girls. I merely turned around and shot them a death glare so venomous that when they stepped back, I caught Hayate also stepping back once, even though he was about 300 yards away from me and my glare wasn't directed at him.

The gates opened and the real shrieking began. I had already seen all the vampires, didn't need to see 'em again. I concentrated on improving the scariness of my glare. If I could master Zero's invisible barrier technique, I wouldn't have to strain myself. I stared the girls down, none of them moved, a couple tried to sneak past me, but I had a trained eye (From my Vampire Hunter training), they couldn't get past me, and even if one did, Zero would catch her. Maybe we weren't to bad a team after all.

Hayate was still here. He was either waiting for me, or waiting for Zero (He WAS the Boys' Sun Dorm President). The Night Class had just got out. Their footsteps were almost soundless behind me. I could feel eyes boring into the back of my head. It wasn't fun. Feeling like I had everything under control, I turned on the ball of my foot to tell whoever was staring at me to keep walking.

I found myself almost face-to-face with that honey-blonde vampire. The Vice President of the Moon Dorm, Takuma Ichijou. He was smiliing brightly at me, but I didn't see what he could be so confoundly cheerful about. "Good evening, Satake-san." He chirped. I glared up at him. "Good evening..." I replied. I couldn't help it, I was raised to be polite, even if I was pissed.

"Please except this invitation to my birthday party." He said, opening my hand and placing a small envelope in my palm. What. The. Hell. I arched an eyebrow. "Why are you inviting me?" I asked, holding the envelope between my middle and index finger. Ichijou seemed surprised I would ask such a question. "I thought it would be a nice way to welcome you to Cross Academy." He answered. Yeah, right. What was he plotting?

I looked over his shoulder to find almost all the vampires were shooting me dirty looks. I looked over my own shoulder to find the fanatic girls doing the same. Meep. "Please, promise me you'll at least consider it, Satake-san." Ichijou took my hand and kissed it. It took every ounce of my energy to hold back my blush and keep my blood pressure from going off the charts. As he raised his head, I whispered so only he could hear. "Is this... what some would call a 'warning-bribe'?"

Ichijou looked befuddled by my question. Then he smiled. "Of course not, it is purely from my heart's desire to wish that you would be so kind as to grace us with your presence." He said, then bowed and joined Kaname Kuran, the President of the Moon Dorm, at the front of the crowd.

I stared at the envelope in my hand. Two arms wrapped around me, yet again. "Reina-chaaaaan!" Called the painfully familiar voice of Hanabusa Aidou- a.k.a. "Mr. Pervert". Great, now I'd have his scent all over me. AGAIN. "I'm SO glad you joined the Disciplinary Committee! Now we can be very best friends!" He said in a sickly sweet voice, nuzzling into my shoulder. Oh, so that's how he's gonna play it?

Then he leaned so his lips were right at my ear and lowered his voice. "You won't last with all these rather possessive girls, Reina Satake-chan. They will torment you continuously out of jealousy from your 'closeness' with me... and the others." I smirked. "I wouldn't be too sure, vampire." I whispered back, twisting out of his reach and distancing myself from him. He seemed confused by my reply, so I turned towards the girls and sicced the most vicious glare I could muster on them. They cowered back in fear. I turned back to Aidou with a smug sneer on my face. He was definitely angered for failing to emotionally scathe me.

I waved cheerfully for him to rejoin his precious cult. He shot me a glare, letting me know he probably wasn't giving up soon, and caught up with his cousin, Akatsuki Kain. I raised my sleeve to my nose and inhaled. "Dammit..." I muttered. He had hung on to me for too long and now I smelled exactly like him, again. It wasn't a bad smell, it just pissed me off because it reminded me of him.

After the rest of the Night Class had passed through, the girls left, leaving Zero, Yuki, Hayate and I. Yuki turned to me. "You seem really close to some of the Night Class students." She giggled. I gagged openly. I sort of understand Ichijou being nice (supposedly), but that pervert had no right sexually harrassing me in public like that. Just remembering it was pissing me off.

"Are you going to Ichijou-san's birthday party?" asked Yuki. I did a double take at her. "Huh?" "Ichijou-san invited you to his birthday party, right?" I nodded. "Are you going?" She looekd at me expectingly. I sighed. "Might as well. Someone needs to go patrol them." I decided. "Were you invited, Yuki? Zero?" I asked, hoping they would say yes. Yuki nodded brightly, my guess, for the both of them. "We're going, right, Zero?" She said, smiling at her friend.

Zero nodded solemnly, then when she turned around, he gave a sad sigh. Poor guy. I patted his head sympathetically. Hayate poked my temple. "So, I suppose you want to go get ready for this party?" He said, smirking. Somehow he knew that would make me feel guilty. "I'm really sorry!" I bowed again and again. He raised his arms. "It's fine. It's not like you and I made plans or something anyway." He said, and I could have sworn he went a bit red.

I nodded and waved to him and Zero as they returned to their dorm, then followed Yuki back to the girls' dorm. "What are you going to wear, Reina-senpai?" Yuki's smiles were so innocent that it hurt to see her in a place like this. "Nothing special. I'm just going for patrol, after all." I answered. Though, I should bring something. It's a habit of mine. My mother taught me never to go to a party empty-handed. It apparently brings bad luck to the host and the empty-handed person. I also wanted to see if I could get the chance to talk to Ichijou, there was something that was bothering me.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter #5

I met Zero and Yuki outside the Moon Dorm. "Wow, Reina-senpai! You look so different in normal clothes." laughed Yuki. I flushed a little. "Er... thank... you...?" I replied. Zero was boring and kept his uniform on, Yuki looked like she was wearing the casual version of the school uniform: A pleated skirt with a button-up shirt and a blazer. I smiled and put my hands in my pockets.

"Satake-san! Yuki! Kiryu!" Ichijou waved frantically behind a mound of presents. All the vampires were watching us, our every step. Zero was tensing beside me, he sensed it too. "Damn vampires..." I heard him mutter. "You brought your gun, didn't you?" I asked. He nodded. Wow, seriously? I mean, I brought my tessen, but they didn't kill vampires on contact. My tessen merely caused excrutiating pain... hey, death is worse.

"Satake-san! I thought you weren't going to come! Thank you." Ichijou bowed. I bowed back out of my overly formal teachings. "Erm... Happy Birthday... Ichijou-san..." I said, forcing a smie. Ichijou seemed surprised to hear those words come out of my mouth (Is it me or do I surprise him a lot?), but smiled and took me by the hand. "Thank you so much!" He said, and twirled me around. God, what was this guy playing at?

"As my present, I would most pleased to receive a kiss from you, Satake-san..." Said Ichijou, blushing. Was he for real? What the hell? "Um... yeah, no... I actually brought something for you..." I said, reaching into my pocket and taking out a small bag of gingerbread cookies. I'd gotten Headmaster Cross's permission to go into town and get ingredients. I baked them myself. Ichijou's eyes widened. "For me?" He asked. "No, they're for the Oni living on your roof- yes they're for you!" I snapped. He laughed at my lame joke and accepted my gift.

~*~

"Time to cut my cake!" Ichijou announced. Shiki stepped beside him and took the knife. "I'll do it, Vice President." He said. He caught my gaze, and I swear I saw a smirk play on his face. What was with the guys at Cross Academy and smirking? I mean, Shiki smirks, Ichijou smirks, Aidou smirks, Hayate smirks, Zero smirks, Headmaster Cross smirks! Ugh, honestly! Men!

Lost in my thoughts, I was suddenly pulled back by the smell of blood. Vampire blood. I refocused my eyes and saw that Shiki had cut Ichijou, most likely not by accident. "Don't waste it." He was saying, taking Ichijou's hand and licking the blood off. "Did you cut my hand on purpose?" Ichijou asked in a low voice. What is this supposed to be, yaoi fanservice or something?

Zero tensed even more and bolted out. Yuki called out his name before running after him. "I think we disgusted them..." Said Ichijou. I cast them a look that told them exactly how I felt about what Shiki did and followed Yuki out of the dorm. Jeez, see what I mean? Vampires are total freaks!

~*~

I showered again because the Moon Dorm reeked of vampires, for obvious reasons, and the smell was bothering me. I didn't want to remember the look of bloodlust on Shiki's face when he devoured Ichijou's blood, nor do I want to remember Ichijou's total calmness with the matter. Because of that freakshow, I didn't get to talk to Ichijou. My roommate, Kazue (Remember her?), wasn't speaking to me. Probably because she caught Aidou's little act with me. Grr, I was beginning to dislike him more and more. I mean, what was his problem? Why did he have to pick on me, of all people? I'll admit I'm not like the average girl my age, but still.

I sat on my bed, but didn't lie down. After the yaoi fanservice display I doubt I'll have any dreams I'll want to remember. Kazue was already asleep; either that or she's pretending so she doesn't have a reason to talk to me. Yeah, I'm guessing my second guess was the more likely.

~*~

About 2 hours have passed. I was really tempted to go out through the window again, but I was worried I'd run into another vampire.

~*~

One more hour had passed and I couldn't stand it. Sue me, at least I had more self-restraint than most people. I jumped off my bed and unlatched the window. Again, I left it half-open for when I returned. I jumped down onto the ground, bending my knees so I made as little sound possible.

Walking around the campus was very peaceful, it was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so you could see the stars perfectly. The quiet had calmed me down, so I scrambled up a tree and hung there, looking out for constelations and patterns in the sky. It was a quarter moon out, thank God. I creeped me out to be outside during full moons. It was probably because one of my brothers, Itsuki, played a really unfair prank on me when I was, like, 3.

See, with Vampire Hunting, training started as soon as you were 2, which was pretty unfair for kids, they never actually have a childhood. So, my brother had started telling me a bunch of stories about how Hunters most commonly disappeared on full moons because they strengthened vampire powers. Of course, now I know that's total bullcrap, but I was three then, so, you know.

Anyway, one night, we were having a bonfire outside -which was one of the ONLY fun things my parents let us do- during a full moon. (What are the chances?) Itsuki and I were in charge of collecting firewood, when we went back up to the house to cut more logs, well, let's just say he may have scarred me for life, but he also go quite the beating from a certain 3-year-old that night. He also was grounded for, like, a half a year, and my other brother, Katashi (seeing as Shun wasn't born yet), didn't let Itsuki near me for a while. Yeah, fun times with the family.

My time of looking 'fondly' at my childhood memories ended abruptly when I heard footfalls on the grass near my tree. I raised my head and took a deep breath. Vampires again. Ugh, I've dealt with them enough for one day. I listened to the patterns of the footsteps and waited until the person was directly underneath my tree, then jumped down and whipped out my batons. I found myself face-to-face with... Rima Toya?

Both ends of the shooters were at her neck and she had the same impassive look she always wore. I put away my tessen and apologized. She shook her head. "It's fine." Through her expressionless face, I could sense some anxiety. "Hm... how should I ask you about this?" She muttered. I raised an eyebrow. "Ask me about what?" She ignored me. "Takuma should have gone to get you himself..." She murmured.

This was starting to get frusterated. Right when I was about to ask her about what she was muttering, she looked directly into my eyes and grabbed my wrist. "Come with me." She said. I tugged a little. "Where we going? What does Ichijou-san want with me?" I asked. Rima gave a firm stare that told me to shut up and wait. Why did the vampires gather a sudden interest in me? I mean, yeah, I knew about them, but what about Yuki? I haven't seen them even go near her!

Rima made me run all the way to the front gate of the Academy. There, we found Ichijou, Shiki and someone else... Kaname Kuran. "Oh, hell no..." I sighed. Ichijou didn't smile like he did before when he saw us. I kept my eyes on Kaname Kuran the whole time. He also had his eyes fixed on me. We stopped right in front of them. "Kaname." I greeted him coldly through clenched teeth. "Reina." The way he said my name made me want to shiver, but I stood my ground. He hated me as much as I hated him. "Rima. You may go." Ichijou said quietly. Rima didn't protest, she bowed to Ichijou and Kaname and left wordlessly.

"I thought you had already sent him out to see whether I was hunting your cult or not, Kaname." I said, jerking my head to Shiki. Shiki said nothing. Kaname studied me, I knew he would like nothing more than to sink his teeth into my neck and end my life, but that wasn't going to happen. Ever. Not unless he wanted to die with me. "I had to get your word myself." Kaname replied. I arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

Kaname's eyes flickered to Shiki, then to Ichijou, then back to me. "Some of my students have taken quite a liking to you. I wanted to make sure you weren't being... protected." He answered. Yeah right, it was true that some of the vampires were starting to hang around me, but I doubt they would protect me if it meant they would all DIE. "Well, you have my word. I came as a favour to the Headmaster, and for educational purposes as well. Now, may I leave?" I said, glaring at Kaname viciously. His expression remained fathomless, but he turned away from me, as if to dismiss me. Damn him.

I began to walk away when I heard him say. "Senri, walk back with her." I quickened my pace, but that didn't do much. Shiki was walking beside me in an instant. "Robot." I muttered. He seemed to agree with that, because I heard a chuckle. "You never told me your main reason for coming to the academy." He said. "I don't want to tell you." I retorted. "Why not?" He said. "I don't trust you, and I have good reason not to." I replied. Shiki stopped. "What do you mean?" He asked. I stopped as well. "You know what I mean." Shiki is the son of the most repulsive vampire known to man.

"I may be his son, but he doesn't have control over me. He's gone." Said Shiki. I chuckled. "Don't think just because I'm not a vampire, I don't know everything about you all." I said. "Everything?" Shiki repeated. I nodded. "They call you 'Shiki's Puppet'. Your mother demands that you stay restrained, that's partially why you are the way you are, correct?" I said, but regreted it instantly. The look of hurt on Shiki's face was the most expression I'd ever seen him wear.

"I'm sorry." I said. "It was none of my business. But one does here rumors." I added. He nodded. "You are quite the fascinating human, you know." He said. I rolled my eyes. "Please, I don't get why you're all so hung up on me. After all, my title alone should be enough to make you hate. Plus, my blood's smell should be so repulsive that you recoil within entering 50 yards of me." I grumbled. Shiki chuckled quietly. "It seems to have the opposite effect on us." He replied. I nodded and sighed.

Then a hand grabbed mine. I looked and saw Shiki staring at me with intent eyes. "Could it be because you don't truly hate vampires?" He mumbled. I tugged my hand away and backed up. "Says who?" I demanded, outraged. Shiki smirked. "I can tell. You're too easy on us." I glared harder. Easy on them? He called slamming Aidou on his back the first time I met him, going easy on them? I huffed and continued walking. "I do not require you to chaperone me anymore." I snarled. I heard Shiki chuckle again. Dammit! I have HAD IT with vampires and their stupid superiority. Without thinking, I bolted forward towards my dorm. I knew Shiki would follow, slowly, walking, but he would still follow.

When I reached my dorm I yanked at the door irritably until it opened and rushed up the stairs. I burst into my room and threw myself on the bed. Kazue hadn't gotten back yet, so I was free to rampage around as I pleased. I buried my face in my pillow and thought of very violent things to do to those vampires, those stupid, beautiful, alluring leeches. I angrily ignored my thoughts of Aidou and Kaname and switched to Ichijou. My mind calmed a little. Ichijou seemed different from the others, as if he were trying to be human. The thought of that made me laugh a little. I flopped on to my back and clutched my pillow to my heart.

To be totally honest, Shiki was right. I don't completely hate vampires. But there was no way I would give that jerk the satisfaction of knowing anything about me. And with that, being carried away by my idle thoughts, I closed my eyes and let myself drift off.


End file.
